“We asked for drinks almost a minute ago. Chop chop, human,” the largest of the four grunted, slamming his fist against the wooden bar.
I scrambled over to him, slid the shots in front of them and turned around. Before I could take a step, he’d ordered eight more shots.
“And make it quick. We don’t have all night.”
Grimacing, I returned to the bottle of bourbon and poured them as fast as I could. Most of the liquor made it into the cups while some found its way onto the table. Wiping that up, I collected the glasses and took them over to the men. The largest one stared at me; the corner of his lips turned up into a smirk.
“You need to be quicker than that to make it here, sweetheart.” He swept a hand through dark curls to shove the strands from his face.
I stood there for a moment, watching as his gaze slid over me in a way that made me feel like I’d shown too much skin. Dressed in a tank top that plunged slightly beneath the swell of my breasts, enough it showcased the bottom of my bra. I hadn’t thought much of it when I’d put the shirt on, but now, I regretted the decision. Especially when he did little to hide the fact he’d been staring.
He licked his lips before grabbing a shot and chugging it down. Plucking up another shot, he made quick work of it as his friends did the same.
“How about you grab me sixteen more please, and do put a rush on it.”
His boys laughed, clapping him on the back as if to tell him he’d done a good job. I left them there again to complete their next order. This time, I took my time. Fuck them. No matter how fast I was, I wouldn’t be fast enough and he’d find another reason to complain anyway.
On my way back to them, I saw Jon collecting their shot glasses and was grateful he’d returned. That was until the outspoken jerk decided to complain about how slow I’ve been.
“I don’t think she’s going to make it here as slow as she is. I asked for my drinks two minutes ago and she’s taking her sweet time.”
Jon dropped the shot glasses into a trashcan beneath the bar before placing a hand on his hip. “Maybe this is a good time for you to exercise patience, Gregory.”
Gregory slid from his stool to lean over the counter. “Maybe that blood bag needs to pick up the pace if she wants a tip.”
Jon placed a hand on his chest, rearing back with a surprised expression on his face. With a mock gasp, he said, “Honey, you must’ve come to the wrong bar. Here, you tip your bartenders for every single drink you’ve ordered, and considering your attitude, I believe you owe her at least five dollars a shot.”
“What? I’m not giving that bitch…”
Jon put up a finger, wagging it in Gregory’s face. “Calling names now, are we? I think that deserves at least another ten dollars a shot. Would you like to go for twenty?”
I placed the drinks in front of the men, trying my hardest not to laugh.
Gregory glared daggers at Jon before grabbing one of his friends by the jacket and gesturing toward the door. “Let’s get out of here. We don’t need this.”
Before they even turned around, Jon reached out and grabbed the collar of Gregory’s jacket, tugging him back toward the bar. “I know you aren’t planning on leaving here without paying for you drinks. I wonder how the Trio would feel about this.”
“I already told you, I’m not tipping that…”
Jon reached for the man’s wallet, plucking it from the inside pocket of his vest. He pulled out a wad of cash and began counting it. “Let’s see, you’ve ordered twenty-eight shots so far at five dollars apiece. That will run you one-hundred-forty, if my math is correct.” He plucked out the bills and handed them to me. “Now for the tip…”
Gregory tried to grab his wallet back, but his friend stopped him, giving him a warning glance.
“You’ve harassed my favorite bartender, which is worth five dollars per shot, you’ve called her names so I’m adding an additional ten dollars a shot to that, and you tried to leave without paying her.” He looked back at me with a wink. “Would you say adding an extra ten dollars a shot would make you feel less offended, sweetie?”
I gave him a nod and he smiled.
“So, let’s do the math here, Gregory. At twenty-five dollars a shot, I believe that means you owe her seven hundred dollars.” He fumbled around with the bills, counting them out before frowning. “But I only see four hundred here. Gregory, I’m disappointed.”
Gregory tossed up his hands. “Well that’s all I’ve got. Take it or leave it.”
Jon seemed to consider this for a moment before looking back at me. “What do you think?”
I thought Jon was out of his mind. Seven hundred dollars was a lot to ask from someone, even if they’d been rude. But I could see what Jon was doing. He was making an example out of the men, letting it be known that anyone who disrespected me would suffer consequences for it. I had to admit, it made sense. I’d wondered how they’d be able to keep me safe, to keep the other vampires in line, and now I knew intimidation was part of that plan. Still, I felt like it was too much. I didn’t want them afraid of what Jon and the Trio might do should they harm me. Instead, I wanted to earn their trust, as stupid as that sounded.
I placed a hand on Jon’s shoulder. “I’m fine. They really weren’t too bad.”
“Hmm.” Jon handed me the four hundred dollars. “Well, guess she let you off the hook, but she’s keeping the four hundred. May as well finish your shots boys. After all, you paid dearly for them.”
He turned to face me, ignoring the scowl on Gregory’s face. “Don’t let them treat you that way. Everyone here knows you’re under our protection so the only thing they can do is try to get under your skin. And, trust me, they will try.”
I gave him a nod and continued on with my shift. Everything else went smoothly. Vampires and humans alike ordered their drinks, making sure they tipped after every drink. By the time our shift was almost over, I’d made over a grand that night, more money than I’d ever made in my life and I wondered if I could save it up to pay Devon back. Not that they were requiring me to do so, but I still felt bad about what I’d done.
Around one in the morning, Jon dimmed the lights, turning off most of the fluorescent lights in the bar. When I’d questioned him about it, he told me that it was private time for most in the club. I wasn’t sure what he’d meant at the time but I learned soon enough. Most of the humans were escorted from the bar, while the remaining humans all partnered up with their vampires and disappeared within the shadows of corners, against the far wall and anywhere else they wouldn’t draw attention to them. I heard a few whimpers, hisses, and heavy breathing and the sounds made me tremble. Glancing up to Jon for answers, he shook his head.
“They’re feeding,” he told me before discarding most of the glasses in the trashcan and wiping down the bar with a wet cloth.
It disturbed me how many of the humans remained, trusting their lives to the vampires as they were fed on, but what could I do. I’ve heard the stories, heard the intimate details of what humans experience during the feeding. It was damn near erotic for them, a time when they felt nothing but pleasure and sensation, more alive than they’d ever felt. Like a drug, they became addicted to that feeling, willing to teeter the line between life and death to get their fix.
I thought of my old roommates. They’d been addicted too, only their drug of choice was anything they could snort up their noses, smoke from a bulb, or shoot into their veins. They’d sold almost all of their possessions for their fix before stealing mine, and I doubted it would have gotten any better if I’d stayed.
My eyes scanned the club and I could barely make out the shadows of bodies intertwined with one another in sensual positions that made me wonder if there was more than feeding going on. Before I could avert my eyes, something caught my attention. A car passed and light glinted off the eyes of another vampire who seemed to be sitting off in a corner, his eyes trained on me. Unlike the others, he wasn’t feeding on anyone, instead, he sat there, his legs crosse
d in front of him, his elbow rested on the table beside him.
I don’t know what it was, but the way he looked at me had shivers rushing through me and that lump formed in my throat. It was as if he was watching every move I made, trying to find the right moment to pounce.
Jon picked up the trash bags and exited the club, carrying them to the dumpsters just behind the club. The moment he left, the man shifted forward, his face catching the light. Blonde hair was spiked on top of a smooth face, with a sharp nose and thin lips. Those lips were flattened in a straight line as he regarded me, studying me with a calculated look that felt wrong. I could feel fear tingling over the back of my neck as I stepped back, subconsciously wanting to put as much distance between us as possible. He smiled at that, a wicked smile that made him look almost lethal as he stood to his feet. One moment he was leering at me from the opposite side of the club, the next he was leaning forward on the bar, closing the distance between us.
I jumped back, startled by his sudden closeness as he flashed a set of fangs, scrunching his nose as he sniffed the air. When his features relaxed, something strange happened. I felt my body grow numb before heat tumbled through me and all could feel was this deep desire to touch him, or to be touched by him. My palms itched to smooth themselves over the sharp planes of his face, to take his face in my hands and guide it toward my throat. I wanted him to bite me. No. I needed him to and the longer I looked at him, the harder it was to fight that feeling of wanting to be consumed by him.
I stepped forward, reaching out to him. He took my hand in his, turning my wrist up before tracing a pattern on my wrist with his finger. Without a word, he pulled my wrist to his lips, allowing his tongue to slip out and lick the soft skin there. Just the feeling of his tongue against my skin sent tremors down my spine, coming to rest in my belly and when he parted his lips to bite me, a fang scraped across the flesh there and a giddy jolt of pleasure and anticipation had a moan escaping my lips. Spurred on by the sound, he opened his mouth wider, but just as he was about to bite me, he was knocked away from me.
Chapter Twelve
Devon
Tension stressed the back of my neck as I walked up to the one place I’d thought I wouldn’t for a long time. Smoke and Jackson had worked tirelessly to convince me to take some time off and, were I honest, I was grateful they had. The past few years had been hard on me and if being robbed was enough of a reason for me to leave, I don’t know what else would be.
I thought about that night with Davina. As usual, I’d thought it was a light spot in the life that had grown dark but, also as usual, I’d been completely wrong. She’d been playing me from the beginning and I hadn’t a clue until I spotted my laptop sitting on the coffee table that morning as Smoke lit into me. I’d been naïve, but that was something to be expected. And were I honest, I really didn’t give a damn that she took the money. Sure, it pissed me off she’d gone the lengths she had to get the money but were I in her position, I might have done the same.
I let the night air blow past me as I stepped to the entrance of the club. It was cool outside, much cooler than it should have been that time of year but I welcomed it anyway. Summers were hell in Alamogordo and I preferred the cold.
I reached for the handle and paused. If what Smoke and Jackson told me was true, tonight was Davina’s first night working the bar and the moment I walked inside I would see her standing there, perhaps weirded out by what goes on after two in the morning. I’d asked them to let her off work early to avoid that scene, but Smoke thought it would better for her to see everything that went on. He felt she’d learn to deal with everything better if we didn’t baby her and I couldn’t say I disagreed. After all, she’d have to deal with our world on the regular basis and we couldn’t shield her from everything.
Jon sped around the corner, hurriedly making his way to the entrance before coming to an abrupt stop once he saw me. Surprise lit his expression as he rushed over the clap me on my back.
“They told me you were coming back, I just hadn’t expected it to be so soon,” he beamed, flashing a row of crisp white teeth.
“Neither did I,” I replied, honestly.
Even when I’d told them I’d be returning, I’d planned to spend another week away, but with Davina around, I knew she could use all the help she could get. Thankfully Jon had taken a liking to her, which was unusual. He rarely gave strays the time of day, especially humans, which meant he saw something special in the girl.
Hell, we all did. Even Jackson, though he hated to admit it. I’d listen to him rant and rave, when I’d been forced to sit through conference calls with them. He wanted Davina dead. He wanted her to pay for what she’d done but I had to agree with Smoke. That was pushing it too far and we could definitely use someone with her skills.
“The girl, huh?” Jon asked, jerking his head toward the door. “She’s had a rough life up to this point. You can’t really fault her for what she did. She’s such a sweetheart.”
“I don’t blame her at all. I just wish…” I paused. I couldn’t bring myself to say what I wished, because I knew what that meant. I knew it meant, yet again, I had fallen into another trap, another situation that would see me hurt again and my brothers wouldn’t understand.
Jon gave me a knowing smile. “She’s adjusting pretty well, considering. And she feels really bad about everything. Maybe you could go let her know you blame her? Pretty please?”
I gave him a nod before opening the door and stepping into the club. What I was met with had my blood boiling. A vampire was stretched over the bar, holding her hand with her wrist turned up. His mouth was parted and fangs swept across her skin. Without thinking, I rushed toward the vampire, knocking him away from her.
“What the f…” I began before the vampire rushed me, knocking me back.
He grabbed at Davina, who’d barely managed to dodge his hands as she stepped back into the row of liquor bottles lined up behind her. He leapt onto the bar, readying himself to lunge for her when Jon rushed forward, yanking him down by his arm. He fell on his back and I was on him in an instant, balling up my fist and punching him as hard as I could. Blood spattered from his nose as the crunch of bone reached my ears, but I continued hitting him, hoping to give Jon enough time to get Davina out of there.
I’d made the mistake of looking back to see where they were when I was thrown from the vampire. He came to his feet instantly, his eyes glazed and mad as he glared down at me. I recognized him as Benny, one of the vampires who’d gone missing over the past few weeks.
“Benny,” I said, trying to keep his attention focused on me. But the moment he heard the shuffling of feet headed toward the entrance, he turned his back toward me and raced for the door. Jon shoved Davina up against the door, placing himself before Benny and her.
“Benny, what the fuck? Stand down. This isn’t you.”
If Benny heard him, he didn’t give any indication of it. Instead, he reached around Jon, trying to get his hands on Davina who pushed herself back against the door.
I pushed myself toward him, grabbing his arms and pulling them behind his back. Trying to hold him steady was a task, considering the blood lust that must have been raging through him. It made him stronger, faster, and far more deadly as he fought his way closer to his prey.
“Benny, stop,” I yelled, trying to make my voice sound as authoritative as possible, but that didn’t little to stop him. Instead, he yanked one arm free, twisting himself around enough he could punch me in the chest.
I doubled over as pain gripped me, spreading from my chest to my back. Fuck that hurt but I couldn’t let that stop me, not with Davina standing there, frightened for her life.
With little time to think, I ordered Jon to hold Benny off while I raced toward the bar, grabbing the shot gun I knew Jon kept there for moments like this. In the time it took for me to load it, Benny was quickly overpowering Jon and had nearly been able to get his hands on Davina. He scratched at Davina’s arm, leaving gouges in her arm a
s she screamed out in pain.
With no time to waste, I pointed the gun at him. “Jon, now!”
With that Jon shoved the vampire back as hard as he could, and once Benny was far enough away from the two, I shot him. His hands came up to the wound in his chest as blood began to flow out of it. He crumpled to the floor, laying there as the blood rushed from his body.
~*~
It had been a while since I shot another vampire but I didn’t have time to think about it. Not with him going after Davina the way he did. Once he was down, I called my brothers to help me with the mess while Jon carried a frightened Davina up to her apartment. I helped my brothers confine Benny to the attic before rushing up to check on her.
“She’s fine,” Jon said the moment I entered the apartment, his tone harsher than I’d expected.
He sat beside her on the couch, with her head in his lap, while he massaged her scalp.
“Do you mind if I have a moment alone with her?” I asked.
Jon tensed up as if he’d wanted anything but that, but after a bit, he relaxed. Looking down at Davina, he asked, “Do you mind?”
She shook her head and he left, flashing me a warning glance as he passed me.
Davina sat up in her seat, her eyes puffy and red from tears. “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand.
I could see the deep angry lines Benny had left in her skin and a surge of anger consumed me. To think it was okay to cause her harm like that didn’t sit well with me, not when she’d already been through so much.
I walked over and sat beside her. “I could heal that for you,” I offered, pointing toward her wound.
“No, thank you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve suffered worse than this.”
That thought only amplified my anger but I didn’t say anything. If she wanted to endure that pain, who was I to tell her no.
Captured: A Dark Vampire Motorcycle Club Paranormal Romance (Nightborne Renegades MC Book 1) Page 7